iPhone Tutorial: Configure Apple’s Remote app to control iTunes

by Stephen Ashby

Through the magic of Wi-Fi, this free app from Apple allows you to control iTunes and Apple TV from your device without leaving the sofa

Remote transforms your iPhone into a fully-featured wireless remote control for iTunes and Apple TV, enabling you to choose songs, albums and playlists as if you were sat at your computer. It’s especially useful if you have a remote set of speakers set up via AirTunes. As long as your phone is on the same Wi-Fi network as your computer, you can use Remote to control what’s playing on your iTunes library on the Mac upstairs in the bedroom, for example, while you listen to speakers connected to an AirPort Express in the living room. Not content with giving you free rein over your music, the app works equally well with the Apple TV, enabling you to search for movies or TV episodes via the pop-up Qwerty keyboard, pause, fast-forward, rewind; all the usual features you would expect from a regular remote control.
To install the Remote app, just search for ‘Remote’ in the App Store and download and install as normal. We aren’t going to cover everything it can do here, so for now we’ll just illustrate how to set the app up to control your Mac’s iTunes library and you can explore the rest of the app on your own.

1: Scan the network
Launch the Remote app and hit the Choose a Library button to begin scanning your Wi-Fi network for iTunes libraries on available computers.

2: Choose a library
From the following page, select the Add an iTunes Library option by tapping the button. Home Sharing will find other devices with it turned on.

3: Get passcode
A four-digit passcode is generated and displayed on your iPhone’s screen. This will be used to link your iPhone to the computer that you intend to control.

4: Choose device
On the computer you want to control, open iTunes and select ‘iPhone’ from the devices list on the library panel on the left-hand side.

5: Enter passcode
Enter the passcode displayed on your iPhone’s screen into the boxes on your computer’s screen to sync both devices.

6: Take control
Click OK once the code has been verified. You now have full control of iTunes from your iPhone, anywhere within Wi-Fi range.